Unicef’s Mission to democratising Sanitation

Unicef’s Report on people using Limited Sanitation Services

Author

Gemma Cox

Published

April 25, 2024

As the life expectancy age increases throughout the world, there are still parts of the world that are left behind.

World Map

As you can see, developed countries have a significantly higher life expectancy than developing countries, particularly in parts of Africa, where the life expectancy can go as low as 60 years old.

Bar Chart

Today we look into the life expectancy figures, as well as observe the change in % of people who have limited sanitation services (i.e. shared use of toilet facilities). Between 2016-2018, a staggering amount of the population of Africa, Asia and the Americas are living in these poor conditions.

Timeseries Plot

Interestingly, this timeseries shows us that over the last 20 years, Ghana and American Samoa have the most people using limited sanitation services, however, both of these outliers have gradually improved.

Question: is there a notable correlation between life expectancy correlate with the % of people who have limited sanitation services?

Scatter Plot

We can identify that the majority of African countries that have a high life expectancy, have a low % of the people who have limited sanitation services.

Conclusion

In conclusion, this negative correlation proves that both low life expectancy and high percentage of pop using limited sanitation services correlate. In order for us to be on target with our Goal 6: Clean water and sanitation for all for 2030, UNICEF are working across the sanitation management chain, aiming to reduce high-risk hygiene practices, particularly for those who live in high-density urban areas.

To find out more, visit UNICEF